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THE GREEN BAG

being honest in this thing, living up to the law as we understood it and declining to pay rebates; and we lost so much business that we found we had got to do as the Romans did." The blame lay, as we think, not so much with these culprits and with those others who are now being sent to the peni tentiary, as with the system under which they live. The illuminating fact is that the only relief possible from this disgraceful and intolerable competition was a combination and conspiracy in restraint of competition and in violation of law. "So-called competition in public service industries," said Mr. George Stewart Brown in a recent review, "is not competition at all — it is war. The stronger company either buys out the weaker at once without further parley or it divides the territory with the weaker, if the territory is big enough to divide, and agrees on rates; or it temporarily lowers the rates below the point of profit until the weaker succumbs. As a matter of fact, with the exception of the telephone service, industrial public service war has had but one universal result — consolidation. Not a single instance to the contrary can be cited." Such a war is cruel enough in itself, but what shall be said of the case when the law which encourages it prohibits not only the sole possible means of carrying it on but the sole possible relief from it? But, it will be objected, the law of com petition is an inexorable law of life. Alas, none who live can doubt it. Such also was the law of an eye for an eye, a tooth for a

tooth, until one wiser than his time an nounced a better rule. To the end of time, unless some saving intervention prevail, doubtless the fittest will continue to sur vive, the strong to prey upon the weak, wit to conquer dullness. Certainly the terrible warfare needs no encouragement from human law. But it does cry, with a thou sand urgent voices, for mitigation. Not only do the submerged, the ruined, demand it; the victors themselves, sitting on their thrones of privileges and power, preach, in spite of themselves, moderation and peace. Nor will anything avail but the destruction of the whole tree, root and branch. To occupy ourselves with the regulation of rail way rates is but to touch a detail, when fun damental measures can alone suffice. It is necessary that we abandon competition, acknowledge that it is false in principle, ungovernable as anarchy, cruel and deadly in operation; and in its place we must erect cooperation. Doubtless this savors of socialism, certainly it looks toward federal and municipal ownership. But we are fast losing that horror with which, a few years ago, we heard those words; we are fast coming to approve a saner and friendlier relationship in our daily lives; and it may be the time is not distant when the policy of war for each against all shall give place to that of cooperation by all, under such wise direction as human imperfection may per mit, for the common good. Los ANGELES, CAL., November. 1906.